Translational science seeks to speed up the process of moving research discoveries from the laboratory into healthcare practices. Numerous scientific and organizational roadblocks can act as obstacles along the path of translation and ultimately hinder the speed of progress in medical research. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transform and accelerate the translational research process, with the intended result of getting treatments to more patients faster. The field of Translational Science aims to bridge these gaps by:
Developing new approaches, technologies, resources and models
Demonstrating the usefulness of new approaches, technologies, resources and models
Disseminating the resulting data, analyses, and methodologies to the broad scientific community
Introduction to Translational Science is an introductory course that provides students with a broad understanding of translational science, the types of research that are conducted under the translational science umbrella, and how this research impacts the public at large.The course will compare and contrast current impediments to clinical research with the potential of translational science and will include selected case studies from the University of Rochester.

The first lesson in Introduction to Translational Science provides an overview of the basic definitions and key concepts related to clinical and translational science and the CTSA program. Students will learn about the different stages of translational research and the roadblocks that impede progress across the spectrum.The second lesson in Introduction to Translational Science provides an introduction to T1 research which is research that translates findings from basic (laboratory) research to humans through developing treatments and interventions. T1 research is often conducted through observational studies, case studies, proof-of-concept studies, phase I clinical trials, and phase II clinical trials